German People Love Our Alps: Short Trips to Austria Extremely Popular

When heading to the Alps, it's Austria for the Germans. "Among the alpine destinations, we are in first place - with the themes of nature, cuisine, and culture, we are focusing on the right ones," said the managing director of the national tourism marketing organization Österreich Werbung (ÖW), Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, on Tuesday at the ITB travel fair in Berlin, referring to the current German Travel Analysis.

Austria is the Number One Alpine Republic for Germans

Germans have Austria especially on their radar for short trips - for extended weekends for skiing and hiking. Among the most popular holiday destinations abroad, Austria maintained first place for trips up to four days in 2024 - closely followed by the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Spain. And this despite the market share in this area dropping from 4.4 to 3.7 percent compared to the previous year. Before the Corona pandemic (2019), it was at 4.2 percent.

"Short trips to Austria shot up in 2024, there was a real boom - accompanied by an increase in spending," reported the head of the tourism market research institute NIT, Ulf Sonntag, with a view to the travel analysis. The number of trips by German holidaymakers in this area increased by 3 percent to 3.5 million compared to the previous year. The pre-Corona level is by no means reached again - back then it was still 10 percent more.

Germans Prefer to Stay in Their Own Country

With a share of almost 73 percent, Germans predominantly took short trips in their own country last year - in 2023 it was still 77 percent, around 75 percent in 2019.

Compared to other Alpine destinations, Austria could certainly hold its own well in the future. When asked about interest in mountain destinations in the years 2025 to 2027, Austria ranked first among the Germans surveyed - 8 percent are quite sure they plan a stay, for another 12 percent it is generally an option - making a total of 20 percent. The Bavarian Alps only reached a total of 16 percent, South Tyrol 11 percent, Switzerland 10 percent, and the French Alps 5 percent.

"Germans are usually willing to stay as many days as the hours they travel," knows ÖW-Germany head Sören Kliemann. Accordingly, the respective marketing campaign is conducted. Potential interested parties can be specifically targeted with this guideline.

As part of the German Travel Analysis, more than 12,000 people are personally interviewed annually. The study is conducted by the Research Association for Holidays and Travel (FUR), which also holds the data rights. Österreich Werbung is a member of FUR.

(APA/Red)

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